Genealogy

2-18-2010
Genealogy

One of my favorite books in the bible is the book of Matthew, the first book of the New Testament. The central purpose of the book is to prove that Jesus is the Savior of the world. Imagine writing that book! The author is Matthew, a Jewish tax collector, who became one of Jesus’ disciples. One of the keys of the gospels, especially the book of Matthew, is to understand what Jesus said would happen, did in fact happen. In other words, look at what Jesus predicted would take place, and notice how he has been right 100% of the time. Moreover, when we look at what was said of the coming Messiah in the Old Testament, Jesus Christ is described perfectly, yet some people still didn’t believe!

The people of Israel were waiting for the Messiah, their king. Little did they know he would come in the form of a carpenter, born of the Virgin Mary. When we think of the coming Messiah or King, we don’t picture a humble servant that washes people’s feet. Instead, our world depicts a king as someone to be served, who dresses in fancy jewelry and a crown, and dines with the wealthy. Not Jesus! He did the exact opposite. Jesus came as a humble servant, to serve not be served. He dines with the lowest of the low…isn’t that a message we ought to take notice of? As we read the book of Mathew together, let’s focus on the character of Jesus Christ, not only the words and guidance. Focus on his humility. If you had the power and knowledge he had, would you respond as patiently and kind as he did? Let’s recognize who Christ is, so we can understand who we are called to be.

As we read Matthew 1: 1-14, it may not mean a whole lot to most. It’s simply a genealogy to prove that Jesus is the descendant of both King David and Abraham, just as the Old Testament predicted. Understand the importance of this genealogy: this proves Jesus is one of the chosen one to all of the Jewish people of the time. Because of Jesus family line, being the descendants of kings, he was special, thus being called a “chosen one.” In Isaiah 11:1-5, it was written more than 400 years earlier, it informs us of the prophecy of the coming King. What’s even more interesting about the genealogy of Jesus is many of the people were from ordinary people. In other words, Jesus is the descendant of King David and Abraham, but in between the kings and Jesus were a bunch of “no-names.” It would be like looking at a famous athlete and saying that his great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great………..grandfathers, grandfather was a great athlete also! While that may sound like I am downplaying the importance of all of the “no-names,” I’m not. Without all of those descendants, we would have never had the great athlete of today. Going back to the bible, without all of those doing their part, where would Mary and Joseph come from? By the way, they were both direct descendants of David as well! The important concept to grasp here is simple; never underestimate the power of your actions. What you do today, leads to exponential results years and years later for your families, family, etc. Make an impact in your family, and it will be passed down from generation to generation. If you come from a tough family background, accept the challenge and be a part of changing the way your family sees the world. Be the one that your family says, “thanks to that servant leader of a person, the ________ family has been forever changed!”

Application:
1.Read Matthew 1:1-14
2.What would you like to see your families do better? Be the one that fixes that family problem. If you come from a financially poor family, be the one that changes the way your family operates. Brainstorm, and see if you notice any generational similarities between family members. Of those, what needs to change?